Nial Sarnin is only twenty-one years old, far too young to have lost her beloved Jika. She lives on a world where the winds never stop, and we find Nial at the beginning of the book preparing to launch the spirit kite, sewn from the shirt he wore at their wedding, to carry his spirit to the stars and beyond.

Instead, Nial finds herself launched on an adventure that will change the fate of her world. The spirit kite doesn't flow at the mercy of the winds. Nial herself unexpectedly gains control, demonstrating the gifts of a kitemaster, a rare and valuable tool on a world where the winds forever blow. Her powers bring her to the attention of the crew of the kiteship Midnight Rain, whose Captain has joined forces with the runaway Prince Vikaan to attempt to thwart Queen Kavaya's plan to gain control of a dragon, and then the world. Nial's late-developing powers could be crucial to their efforts, but only if Nial can be schooled quickly enough in her kitemastery, the Queen's agents stopped from taking down the Midnight Rain, and Nial's own family saved from death at the Queen's hand.